GET A LIFE NOW: Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control - MayoClinic

 This article has some good ideas for the M.S.'er trying to mange fatigue and still maintain employment.

Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control - MayoClinic.com

Work-life balance: Tips to reclaim control

When your work life and personal life are out of balance, your stress level is likely to soar. Use these practical strategies to restore harmony.

By Mayo Clinic staff

There was a time when the boundaries between work and home were fairly clear. Today, however, work is likely to invade your personal life — and maintaining work-life balance is no simple task. Still, work-life balance isn't out of reach. Start by evaluating your relationship to work. Then apply specific strategies to help you strike a healthier balance.

Married to your work? Consider the cost

It can be tempting to rack up hours at work, especially if you're trying to earn a promotion or manage an ever-increasing workload. Sometimes overtime may even be required. If you're spending most of your time working, though, your home life will take a hit.

 Consider the consequences of poor work-life balance:

• Fatigue. When you're tired, your ability to work productively and think clearly may suffer — which could take a toll on your professional reputation or lead to dangerous or costly mistakes.
• Lost time with friends and loved ones. If you're working too much, you may miss important family events or milestones. This can leave you feeling left out and may harm relationships with your loved ones. It's also difficult to nurture friendships if you're always working.
• Increased expectations. If you regularly work extra hours, you may be given more responsibility. This may lead to only more concerns and challenges.

Strike a better work-life balance

As long as you're working, juggling the demands of career and personal life will probably be an ongoing challenge.

Use these ideas to help you find the work-life balance that's best for you:

• Track your time. Track everything you do for one week, including work-related and personal activities. Decide what's necessary and what satisfies you the most. Cut or delegate activities you don't enjoy or can't handle — or share your concerns and possible solutions with your employer or others.
• Take advantage of your options. Ask your employer about flex hours, a compressed workweek, job sharing, telecommuting or other scheduling flexibility. The more control you have over your hours, the less stressed you're likely to be.
• Learn to say no. Whether it's a co-worker asking you to spearhead an extra project or your child's teacher asking you to manage the class play, remember that it's OK to respectfully say no. When you quit doing the things you do only out of guilt or a false sense of obligation, you'll make more room in your life for the activities that are meaningful to you and bring you joy.
• Leave work at work. With the technology to connect to anyone at any time from virtually anywhere, there may be no boundary between work and home — unless you create it. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. When you're with your family, for instance, turn off your cell phone and put away your laptop computer.
• Manage your time. Organize household tasks efficiently, such as running errands in batches or doing a load of laundry every day, rather than saving it all for your day off. Put family events on a weekly family calendar and keep a daily to-do list. Do what needs to be done and let the rest go. Limit time-consuming misunderstandings by communicating clearly and listening carefully. Take notes if necessary.
• Bolster your support system. At work, join forces with co-workers who can cover for you — and vice versa — when family conflicts arise. At home, enlist trusted friends and loved ones to pitch in with child care or household responsibilities when you need to work overtime or travel.
• Nurture yourself. Eat healthy foods, include physical activity in your daily routine and get enough sleep. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as practicing yoga or reading. Better yet, discover activities you can do with your partner, family or friends — such as hiking, dancing or taking cooking classes.

Know when to seek professional help

Everyone needs help from time to time. If your life feels too chaotic to manage and you're spinning your wheels worrying about it, talk with a professional — such as a counselor or other mental health professional.

If your employer offers an employee assistance program (EAP), take advantage of available services.

Remember, striking a healthy work-life balance isn't a one-shot deal.

Creating work-life balance is a continuous process as your family, interests and work life change.

Periodically examine your priorities — and make changes, if necessary — to make sure you're keeping on track.

 Remember to try and live one day at a time, manage your fatigue and realize you need priorities not only around your work but around your health, energy, and special needs  living with multiple sclerosis.  Seek to make time to have a satisfying and engaging day without raising the bar too high and burning yourself out.  Recovery from doing too much in one day might require a day of bed rest.

After a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and after the panic at having a progressive, chronic, incurable disease, it is good to take some time away from the worries of work and life in general to consider your future.  M.S. is variable and unpredictable in its affects on an individual.  Maybe you have been lucky and can still keep your job.  If you have a more progressive and debilitating form of the disease, you are likely out of the workforce and looking for ways to continue to be engaged in the world while balancing your fatigue and other symptoms

This is going to require creativity and you need to take an inventory of your interests and skills to ascertain if you can work part time for an employer or create a home based business you can operate according to your energy levels and the need for a flexible schedule.

My goal is to make a business using the internet and offering a product or service that people are willing to pay to receive, such as, financial market research or another business that does not require licensing with the S.E.C. and other governing bodies.  Maybe sell antique ornaments (no heavy lifting) on EBay. 

There are a million books telling us how to work from home and make money in the comfort of our home.  Be careful of the sharks seeking to exploit your situation for "man is wolf to man".  There is always someone seeking to make a buck off of the suffering or misfortune of others.